The Bruins haven’t shaken out of their slump and the weekly power rankings at the different outlets reflect that. One even dropped them out of the top 10. Still, there seems to be an expectation that Boston will eventually snap back to form as nobody dropped them especially far.
To keep power ranking lists from becoming repetitive, the different outlets usually include a different side angle for each team too.
Sample HTML block
Here’s where the Bruins landed on the lists and what the different sites said about them:
Rank: 5
The Athletic did each team’s wish list. Not a realistic wish list, just a wish list. Read on. You’ll see:
“See if they can get a cap space advance
Boston figures to have about $20 million in space … once the offseason hits. You’d imagine that Don Sweeney would like to borrow a Noah Hanifin-sized chunk for the next week. It’d make his life a lot easier. Alas, the NHL doesn’t have a GM equivalent of payday loans, so Sweeney is stuck improving his Cup-caliber roster around the margins.”
Rank: 5
ESPN decided to do each team’s game of the month. They chose a gimmick game that will air under their umbrella for Boston. Coincidence?
“March 9 vs. the Penguins. Sure, the B’s will have some critical matchups when it comes to playoff positioning — including a back-to-back set against the Panthers and Lightning on March 26 and 27. But we’re highlighting this one because it’s the second edition of the “Big City Greens Classic!” Last season’s game was a blast, and this one will feature even more antics.”
Rank: 5
NHL.com picked who each team should trade for.
“This is a tough one where the Bruins are concerned because if you ask me the one player they need, it’s an easy call: Hanifin. The Massachusetts kid would be a perfect addition in the same vein as Hampus Lindholm two years ago, a trade and then an extension that keeps him with the Bruins for the long term. It’s how general manager Don Sweeney prefers to operate. But at the same time, if the Bruins think Hanifin could be convinced to join them as an unrestricted free agent this summer, then given what the Bruins have in their cupboard, that’s the long-term way to go. So, while I’m clearly waffling here, the answer is probably Hanifin. Maybe.”
Rank: 4
SportsNet did a four-year look back and a four-year look ahead with each team:
“On Feb. 29, 2020, the Bruins were the top team in the NHL with a .712 points percentage and were less than a year removed from losing Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup final on home ice to the St. Louis Blues. Four years on, even with the retirement of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, the B’s will enter the 2024 dance as Eastern Conference contenders. And maybe it’s just because a few of us have gone broke betting against this squad in recent years, but can you say with absolute certainty Boston will fall off a cliff by 2028? Brad Marchand will likely be gone and at some point they’ll need to find a top-end centre, but a core of goalie Jeremy Swayman, defenceman Charlie McAvoy and winger David Pastrnak will still be 29, 30 and 31, respectively. For what it’s worth, Elias Lindholm will be 33 in 2028. (Yes, we mean Elias, not Hampus … who knows what the summer will bring!)”
Rank: 11
CBS did a buy/hold/sell stock watch with theirs and while the Bruins have fallen to 11 it’s not time to sell yet. They wrote:
“Buy | I almost went “Hold” here because the Bruins haven’t exactly been playing inspiring hockey lately. That said, I want to see what this team looks like when David Pastrnak has a little more help up front. Boston’s offense has been somewhat anemic this month, and it desperately needs another playmaker in the top-six if it’s going to escape the gauntlet that is a deep Eastern Conference.”
Rank: 5
Bleacher Report doesn’t get fancy. It just ranks teams and has the Bruins fifth before Thursday’s games. They wrote:
“A 3-2-5 run across 10 games for the Bruins while Florida went 8-2-0 has provided a tie atop the Atlantic Division at 82 points apiece. Meanwhile, forward Jake DeBrusk is pondering his fate as an imminent free agent before the deadline. “It’s in the back of everybody’s mind obviously because nobody is really safe,” he said.”
